


No Business Like Family Business

by misura



Category: Fastlane
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 08:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4428560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know he's my dad." Van scowled at the rearview mirror. "Doesn't mean he's not crazy, or that he doesn't deserve this. He wants to be a career criminal, that's on him."</p><p><i>And you want to be the cop who arrests him again, that's on you,</i> Deaq thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Business Like Family Business

"All right, how's this - " Ray-Ray said, and Van was already shaking his head, which was really kind of hasty, Deaq felt, even if yeah, okay, it'd take something pretty damn big at this point to make Van change his mind.

Still, family was family. Least you could do was hear them out.

" - I let you arrest me and you finally make an honest man out of Detective Hayes here."

Deaq blinked. (Van, he noted, did not.) "What?"

"How's this?" Van said. "I arrest you. Period. You think I won't? You think I need your cooperation - for you to _let_ me do that, you better think again. Dad."

Ray-Ray sighed and held out his hands. To Deaq, which was maybe a little bit petty, but Deaq didn't blame the guy for one moment. "You try to raise them right, you know."

"Yeah," Deaq said, putting the cuffs on him. Feeling only a little bit like a scumbag.

 

"He's crazy," Van said.

"He's your dad," Deaq said, which wasn't exactly disagreement, but, well. Deaq's momma had raised him to know better than to ever badmouth his papa - or his big brother, for that matter.

Hadn't always stopped him.

"I know he's my dad." Van scowled at the rearview mirror. "Doesn't mean he's not crazy, or that he doesn't deserve this. He wants to be a career criminal, that's on him."

 _And you want to be the cop who arrests him again, that's on you,_ Deaq thought. True, the anonymous tip had been called in to the Candy Store. Also true: just because they'd gotten the tip, that didn't mean they were the ones who had to act on it.

"Absolutely," Deaq said. "I mean, I hear you, brother."

Van turned his head to glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Deaq asked. "Look, I'm just saying, you don't want to talk about it, that's cool. That's _ice_. You get me?"

"We're partners," Van said. "That's all. Partners. Not even friends, because you've got that stupid rule and you know what, that's fine with me. I don't even want to be your friend when we're not on the job."

"In case nobody's ever told you guys, you argue like an old married couple," Ray-Ray said from the backseat. "I'm just saying."

 

The trip back to LA took two days.

Deaq would have liked to see Van maybe spend some time talking to his dad. Sure, the circumstances were maybe a little bit less than ideal, only they were both there and not in immediate danger or required to work together on a case: based on the past two years, it wasn't going to get any better than this. Deaq tried to stay out of the way, give them some privacy.

"He's a good kid, you know," Ray-Ray told him, while Van was off securing them a room. "Deep down inside. You just got to get past the surface."

"I know," Deaq said. "And I also know he cares about you a lot. He just isn't very good at showing it."

"Right back at you."

Deaq sighed. "Look, it's not like that between us, all right? We're both straight."

"I'm not going to ask, and you're not going to tell." Ray-Ray shrugged. "Works for me. I mean, it's not as if I was expecting grandkids, anyway."

"No, I'm serious," Deaq said. "Van and me - we're just friends."

"Yesterday, you were nothing more than partners," Ray-Ray said. "So, hey, that's progress right there."

 

"You really don't think he's on to something?"

Ray-Ray was taking a nap on the backseat, which might mean he was wide-awake and hearing every word, but Deaq figured, well, so what?

"Come on, man. You ever even want to hug me? Just, you know, a guy hug?" Van said. "No, you don't."

"Sometimes I do," Deaq said. Not often, maybe, but sometimes.

"Like when? And it doesn't count if you were drunk. Drunken hugging doesn't count."

"Drunken sex doesn't count, either?" Ray-Ray asked. "Because in that case, I've got news for you."

Deaq sighed, watching the way Van's expression hardened. Ray-Ray could tell him the sky was blue, and Van would react exactly the same, Deaq felt. Kind of sad.

"Maybe you should concentrate on coming up with the name of a good lawyer instead of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Van said. "You're going to need one."

"Already taken care of, son." Ray-Ray smiled. "But thanks for reminding me. Nice to know you care."

"I don't." Van's hands tightened on the wheel. "At all. I'm just telling you what I'd tell anyone."

"You've got your work cut out for you, Deaq; I can tell you that much," Ray-Ray said. "Good thing I know you don't mind a challenge."

 

Ray-Ray was safely turned over to the authorities, which was good; Van's mood stayed about as cheery as a raincloud, which was not so good.

It got to the point where Deaq found himself knocking on Van's hotel room, for no better reason than that, well, he was a bit worried. True, Ray-Ray had been in prison before, but Van'd never been the one to put him there.

Theoretically, _rationally_ , it might not make much of a difference who'd made the arrest. Practically and emotionally, Deaq figured that maybe it kind of did - especially to Van.

Van was sensitive. In fact, Deaq might even go so far as to say Van was _over_ sensitive, for all that he did feel that yeah, putting your own dad behind bars was kind of a biggie.

Going by his face and his general air, Van thought so, too. "What?"

"Hello to you, too," Deaq said. "Do you want to come inside? Don't mind if I do, thanks, Van."

For a moment, he thought Van might actually keep him out, but then Van moved, saying only, "I might have had company, you know," which they both knew to be untrue: Van might seek out some company, but, like Deaq, he wouldn't take said company back to his actual home.

"So my father got some big-shot lawyer to defend him." Van slumped in his chair. "Word is, they might let him off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Six months, tops."

"What do you want me to say here, Van? Too bad, I really wanted to see your dad behind bars for the rest of his life? Because I gotta tell you, man, that's not exactly how I feel. And I didn't come here to talk about your dad, anyway."

"Good, 'cause I'm getting really sick of talking about my dad," Van said. Lying through his teeth, more or less. Sure, Van might not _like_ to talk about the man, but he was obviously still thinking about him. Worrying for him, even. Deaq wasn't an idiot: big-shot lawyers didn't exactly come falling out of trees or something. They had to be hired - well in advance, to make sure they were available when you'd need them to be.

Ray-Ray might be a class act, but Deaq didn't think he had that kind of pull. Not with less than 24 hours to work with. "Just thought we could hang out for a bit."

"Hang out or make out?" Van asked. "Because apparently my dad thinks we do both."

"So your dad's wrong." Deaq shrugged. "It happens."

"You're like - " Van shook his head. "I like you, all right? Most of the time. But the idea of kissing you is just _wrong_. I'm not that guy. No way."

"Same here," Deaq said.

"But it's - now that he's said it, it's as if I can't stop thinking about it," Van said. "Like he's hypnotized me or something. I look at you, and I ask myself: if I were a woman, would I hit that? And the answer's usually that, yeah, I would."

"Good thing you're not a woman."

Van shook his head. "Is that all it is? Just ... gender? I mean, that's just dumb. Is that what I am? Really? A guy? Is that what my life is about? Being a guy who only likes girls?"

"Whoa," Deaq said. "Getting a bit deep here, aren't we?"

Van looked at him. "So what about you? Would you want to get with me if I were a girl?"

"Sure, I guess. If you were, you know, hot." Deaq chuckled.

"I'm a hot guy," Van said. "Ergo, I'd be a hot girl."

"Would be, could be." Deaq shrugged. "Real question is: would I get with you as you are now?"

"What, confused?" Van glanced at the mini-bar. Deaq thought he might be nervous.

"Hey," Deaq said. "I get that this is a hard time for you, all right? So if you want to try something - something crazy, maybe, and later forget it ever happened, then I can be down with that."

Van licked his lips. "I don't want to kiss you."

"Your mouth says no, your eyes say maybe," Deaq said. It wasn't true, exactly; at best, Van's eyes said that he was looking for something to hold on to here, something solid.

"We never talk about this again?"

"If that's how you want it." It probably would be.

"All right," Van said. "Hit me. Give it your best shot."

"You can't handle my best shot," Deaq said, getting up. "How 'bout I take it easy on you, huh? Keep it light. Nothing too heavy, just something sweet and simple."

"Yeah, you could also talk me to death."

Deaq sighed and leaned in, ready to jerk back the moment things got awkward.

(Somewhat to his surprise, they didn't.)

 

"Two weeks of community service?"

Ray-Ray smiled cheerfully. "Might have been one, if you'd vouched for me. Or even bothered to show up at the hearing. That lieutenant of yours - Chambers, she was there. Nice girl."

"Yeah, well, I was busy," Van said.

"Worked things out with Deaq, did you?" Ray-Ray said. "In that case, forget I mentioned it. That extra week's a price I'll be happy to pay for that. Just be sure to invite me to the wedding. Wouldn't want to miss it for the world."

"We're _not_ \- " Van started.

"Sure thing, Ray-Ray," Deaq said quickly. "Only make sure you're not locked up or something when the big day comes."

"Now _there's_ something worth going straight for." Ray-Ray sighed and shook his head. "No promises, but I'll do my best. Don't wait too long, will you?"


End file.
